Cats get hot against Lasers

The Saddleback men's basketball team defeated inter-district rival Irvine Valley College, 73-54, on Wednesday night in Irvine.  The Bobcats were red hot from the outside in shooting down the Lasers.

Saddleback trailed early when IVC jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening six minutes of the game.  The Bobcats had seven turnovers during the stretch before finally getting things turned around after Mark Reichner was fouled on a three-point shot and made all three free throws to cut the deficit to 8-5.  It was the beginning of good things for Saddleback as the Bobcats went on a run, outscoring Irvine Valley 19-3 over a 5.5-minute stretch. 

Jaden Rahmaan got Saddleback even when he buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 8-8.  Later in the run, Reichner made another from beyond the arc and the Bobcats had a two-point lead.

Saddleback was successful at getting to the free throw line for the remainder of the half and managed to shoot the ball well in taking a 34-21 lead into the locker room.  The Bobcats made 14-of-17 free throws in the half, with Malachi Hiers going 4-for-4 from the stripe.  Hiers also had six rebounds in the half while scoring a team-high eight points in the opening frame.

Saddleback kept Irvine Valley at an arms distance throughout the second half. The Lasers never got closer than eight points as the lead teetered between 8-11 until the final nine minutes of the game.  Saddleback then went on another run when Dylan Gomez (pictured) nailed back-to-back three-pointers to extend the Bobcats lead to 57-40 with only 7:33 remaining on the clock.  Saddleback had its biggest lead in the final minute after Charlie Stallings made a dunk for a 73-50 advantage.

Hiers led Saddleback with 16 points and eight rebounds, making 6-of-10 shots from the field.  Reichner added 14 points over his 17 minutes on the court, making all three attempts from beyond the arc. 

Saddleback finished a sizzling 7-of-15 from long range while outrebounding the Lasers 46-36 for the game.

Saddleback is now 12-11 overall and 3-6 in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) play following the win.  The Bobcats are now tied for sixth place in the OEC with five games remaining. 

Saddleback will play at Riverside City College on Friday (5:00 PM) before returning home to host Santa Ana College next Tuesday at 5:00 PM.